Arts and Crafts

This weekend, Target (you know, that place where you buy diapers and bathroom cleaner and toys and the occasional dress or shirt) presents Arts & Wonder, a free family event with free general admission to six of San Francisco's leading museums and free art activities and performances.

This weekend-long marathon of free family fun kicks off Friday, July 16, 2010 from 5–8:45 pm at the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park, where you can turn Target's canine mascot Bullseye into a work of Andy Warhol-inspired "Pup" art and watch a ballet performance celebrating the work of Impressionist painter Edgar Degas. General admission and activities and performances are free, but if you want to see the Birth of Impressionism exhibition (highly recommended!) you'll have to get a special timed ticket—$15 for adults, $10 for children 6–17, and free for kids 5 and under.

Father's Day is nearly here! We asked Kebby McInroy, Marin mom and owner of Novato's Studio 4 Art, for some ideas for unique handmade gifts for Dad. Studio 4 Art offers drop-in art making sessions, art classes, summer camps, and more. Look for their booth at this weekend's (June 12 and 13) Novato Festival of Art, Wine and Music.

As Father’s Day quickly approaches, it’s time to think about that “something special” to give that special dad. Studio 4 Art has many last minute handmade options available to you. These are all created in the studio with instructors that are there to assist you along the way.
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In case you haven't picked up one of those Easter egg coloring kits from the store yet, never fear—there are ways of coloring your eggs using stuff you may already have around the house, including natural dyes that you may never have thought of! A friend of mine passed on a great post from the website iLunchBox that goes over alternative egg dying methods. One suggestion is to use the plain old food coloring that you may or may not have in your cupboard. Mixing different combinations of blue, yellow, and red will give you just about any color imaginable.

If food coloring' not your thing, then uing a natural ingredient for dye, such as spinach or grass for green, turmeric for yellow, or even red wine or red wine vinegar for a red color. Read the article here for more Easter egg tips.

Anyone who loves stickers, knows about Mrs. Grossman’s Sticker Factory. Located just north of Marin in Petaluma, I’ve been wanting to take my kids on their famous factory tour so we can see how their stickers are made.

This family-owned company is a must-visit place for families in the Bay Area. For $3 per person, you get a guided tour, a goody bag of stickers, and more. Tours are held Monday through Thursday by reservation only. You can give them a call at (800) 429-4549 to schedule a tour. Tours last about an hour.
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February means that Valentine's Day is coming up, and along with it the classroom ritual of exchanging Valentine's Day cards. Since most of us are budget minded these days, you'll probably appreciate the free Valentine's Day cards available at numerous places online, especially since Valentine's Day often seems to be one of those holidays that exists mainly to suck your money right out of your wallet. Simply select the one your children want, download, and print. Pretty nifty.

I decided that I’m going to do something for myself this year—I finally joined our local health club and I’m going to get myself back into shape. I signed up at the Marin YMCA a few weeks ago, and have to say that it was the best decision I’ve made so far this year. Not only am I able to take advantage of the workout room, but our entire family can participate in the classes and programs they have to offer as well.

One of our favorites features so far is the indoor pool. Believe it or not, we have been making a lot of use of it during on these recent rainy weekends, and my kids are able to burn off some energy as well as brush up on their swimming skills. My son wants to join the swim team in the spring and he needs to be able to swim the length of the pool first, so we’re getting in some valuable practice time.

There’s something I love about swimming in an indoor pool on a rainy day. At first thought it seems a little odd to want to go swimming when it’s cold and wet out, but once you get to the pool it’s warm and pleasant and a contrast to the yucky weather going just on the other side of the windows and walls.
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Let your kids’ imagination run wild and create the ultimate gingerbread house with candy canes, gumdrops, frosting, and other treats at the Bay Area Discovery Museum this holiday season. The 12th Annual Gingerbread Architecture Extravaganza starts on November 29 and runs through December 23. Registration is open now. Cost is $25 per gingerbread kit and pre-registration is required, so register online at the Bay Area Discovery Museum. Make sure to register as soon as you can, because the event does sell out.

Dates and times:

• Saturdays: November 28, December 5, 12, and 19
• Sundays: November 29, December 6, 13, and 20
• Weekdays: December 21–23
• Times: 11 am, noon, and 1 pm

Local artist Jennifer Richardson has just opened a new art studio in downtown Petaluma that offers children's art camps and art classes for adults, teens, and children. The new "For the Love of Art" studio, conveniently located a short drive from Marin at 600 Petaluma Boulevard South, is the perfect place for children, teens and adults to feel safe and allow their creativity to emerge with guidance from Jennifer.

In addition to offering summer art camp, Jennifer offers a Tuesday night (7–9 pm) Teen Art Night—a safe place for teens to come and hang out and foster their artistic skills and interests. Thursday night is Adult Art Night, which offers an artistic learning experience along with a glass of wine and great music. Also offered every Friday from 6–9 pm is Parent’s Night Out, where kids can come and join in educational art activities, have a bite to eat, and let Mom and Dad have an evening off.

Jennifer’s art studio also offers birthday parties. Art projects are the take-home gifts and the clean-up is taken care of.